And that was a most excellent result. Because now she had a plan.
The sky had turned to murky gray by the time they pulled up to Greychester House.
Elle took off her coat as she strode across the black and white squares of the hallway floor and up the stairs.
Loisa was still in bed, pale as moonlight.
“Loisa, I have found help,” Elle said. “She gave me this potion for you to take.”
Loisa did not answer and without hesitating, Elle pulled the stopper from the bottle and dripped the amber liquid into Loisa’s mouth.
Loisa almost choked once, but she managed to swallow the medicine without waking up.
“Rest now, dear friend. I will be in to check on you a little later.”
The Nightwalker lay as still as death, but it looked like the black tracks that still spidered under her skin were fading now.
Elle said a quiet prayer to anyone who might be listening that Loisa would be all right before she turned and left Loisa’s room to see her next patient.
In the library, Marsh’s cot was empty and her heart leapt into her throat.
“We’ve put him in the cold larder,” Mrs. Hinges said behind her.
Elle spun round. “Mrs. Hinges! You startled me. What are you doing up so early?”
“I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t mean to do that.” She smiled at Elle. “This house now runs at all hours with the baroness and his lordship being so ill. Mr. Caruthers and I are manning the fort in shifts in order to keep an eye on things.”
Elle hugged her. “Oh, Mrs. Hinges, I’m so sorry about that. You must be exhausted. All this is my fault. All I seem to do is bring misery and destruction upon everyone unfortunate to cross paths with me.”
“Oh, what utter nonsense! I will not stand here and listen to you spout such silliness.” The older woman patted her reassuringly. “But we haven’t any time for feeling sorry for ourselves right now.” She let go of Elle and stared at her with concern. “How about a nice hot cup of tea? You look like you are chilled to the bone. And we can check in on his lordship while we are at it as well.”
Elle smiled. After two cups of Florca’s brew, tea was the last thing she fancied, but a talk with Mrs. Hinges would certainly help and so she followed the older woman downstairs.
In the kitchen Elle stood on tiptoes and peered through the little glass window of the door of the cold larder.
A row of large blocks of ice had been placed around the bottom of the stone floor in order to keep everything inside the room cold. The room was completely empty except for Marsh. He stood perfectly still in the middle of the room, trussed up in his muzzle and canvas jacket. At that moment he was looking up at the ceiling as if he was listening for a sound that wouldn’t come.
Elle tapped against the glass with her wedding band. He turned his head ever so slightly at the sound and she felt her heart contract at the sight of him.
“The cold seems to slow him down a little. Doctor thinks that the less he moves about the slower that thing in his chest will wind down. And don’t worry, dear, I made sure they put an extra cardigan on him before they strapped that canvas thing on. I couldn’t very well let the poor man suffer.” Mrs. Hinges said. “I’m also rather grateful the butcher hasn’t been for this week’s delivery or we would have had a real problem on our hands. The smell of raw meat sends him into a right fit of bother.”
Elle smiled at her. “Thank you for doing all this.”
Mrs. Hinges patted her on the arm. “Never you mind. Let’s go and have that cup of tea and you can tell me all about what you’ve been up to tonight.”
Elle shook her head and gripped the older woman’s hand. “There is no time to waste, Mrs. Hinges. Every moment we sit here is a moment wasted. I must go to my rooms now. Please see that I am not disturbed for the next few hours.”
The house was very quiet as she made her way up to her room. All the curtains were drawn. Loisa, she was assured, was fast asleep in her coffin and she had no idea where the professor was.
Elle felt bone tired as she undid her hair and brushed it. Her whole body ached from lack of sleep and physical exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed, coddled in the warm lusciousness of deep, dreamless sleep. But she could not rest. Not yet.
She retied her hair in a braid that fell down her back and slipped on her linen robes. She was ready to go to the Realm of Shadow. There were a few people she needed to see before she could rest.
Inside her secret chamber, she did not even bother to light the candles. She stepped into the circle and closed her eyes, willing herself to the place where she wanted to be.
Travel to the other side was becoming easier and within moments she felt the rush of energy that filled her senses as she slipped through the barrier.
Finding the dark woods took almost no time at all once she had crossed over. The bare branches of the trees stretched up to a sky that was the color of watered-down milk.
No matter what the time, it never seemed to grow completely dark here, almost as if the sky was afraid to surrender this place to the shadows.
The ever-present dip-dibs watched her with large eyes. They chattered their sharp little teeth at her as she passed them by. And above her, the magpies kept silent watch from the gallery of boughs, peering down at her with eyes like shiny black beads.
Elle walked until she found the largest tree she could. The elm stood in silence as it if had been waiting there for her.
She looked up into its branches and shouted, “Jack!”
“Here! Here!” the magpies above her said, but otherwise there was nothing but silence. Even the bloodthirsty dip-dibs held their breaths.
“Jack!” she called again. Her voice echoed a few times in the silence before it too was swallowed up by the woods.
Elle took another deep breath and shouted one last time “Jack!”
The magpies took to the sky, circling in a flurry of squawks and black and white feathers.
“All right, all right. Here I am. No need to be so impatient.” Jack hobbled out from behind the tree. He opened his cloak and peered at her in the light of his lantern. “Oh, it”s you, he said. “Any news on my holiday?”
“Hello, Jack. I’ve come to ask you a favor,” Elle said, getting to the point.
“Favors, favors. Everyone always wants a favor,” Jack muttered. He leaned over and rested his lantern on a tree root. “No one spares a thought for old Jack. Not a single thought, I tell you.”
“I need you to tell me how one stops a Lady in White.”
Jack gave her a wily look. “La Dames Blanche? Sounds like you have got yourself into a spot of trouble, young lady. Those elemental witches hold grudges for more years than you have to live.”
“But how does one stop one? And I need to make her undo something she”s done.”
“Ah, an undoing,” Jack leaned forward with an air of amusement. “Even more tricky because it requires reversing the intent of the doer.”
“There must be a way. There always is with these things.”
Jack smiled and looked up into the branches above him. “So impatient. Always wanting the answers immediately, don’t you?”
“Jack, please. I don’t have a lot of time. I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t an emergency.”
Jack looked at her for a few long moments. “Tell me first, what are you going to do for old Jack? What news do you bring about my holiday?”
“News! News!” The magpies squawked.
“I haven”t had a chance to discuss the matter with anyone yet.”
He shook his head. “There is nothing to discuss. All I need is for you to say yes. It’s a very simple matter.”
Elle was starting to wonder whether coming here had been a good idea. She had been warned about Jack. But right now, she didn’t have very many options and there was no one else she could ask. “I think a short visit would be fine as long as you promise not to harm anyone.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. �
�This is a trick. You know I cannot promise that. What control do I have over the universe? What if I step on an ant or accidentally squash a worm while I’m there? I would be punished by bursting into flames and that, my dear, is most unfair.”
“Jack, I don’t make the rules. I am bound to obey the Council just as much as you are.”
“The Council of Warlocks. Now there is a fine institution if I’ve ever seen one. Not a fan of them, I gather.”
“Not really, no,” Elle had to admit.
“But back to my holiday. Do you think I would be harming something if I ate anything? You know I am very fond of a bit of fried bacon with butter on bread in the morning. Would I be harming the pig if I did that?”
“I don’t know, I never thought about it like that,” Elle admitted.
“You see, it’s a very old and very stupid rule.”
She sighed. “Very well, but as long as you promise not to harm anyone on purpose.”
Jack grinned at her and held out his hand. “I accept. The bargain is struck.”
As Elle took his hand, and immediately she felt a cold ripple of magic spill over her arm and run all the way up to her shoulders. She shivered and let go of Jack’s knobbly old fingers.
“Deal! Deal! Deal!” The magpies squawked as they flew off into the darkness of the forest.
“Now tell me about the lady and how I make her undo something.”
Jack shook his head. “That was payment for the last favor. When I let you out of the forest. This one costs different.”
Elle closed her eyes in exasperation. “My patience is wearing thin, Jack. You are being tricksy and I don’t have time for that, I’m afraid. How do I even know that you are telling the truth? You could be pretending that you know when you don’t.”
Jack looked indignant. “Do you know who I am? Do you even comprehend who you are speaking to?”
“No, sir, it is I who must ask you that question.” Elle felt herself grow angry. She was not going to allow this twisted creature to trick her again.
Jack stared at her for a long moment. “It seems, little Oracle, that you and I have reached an impasse. How can there be a bargain when both parties carry tricks up their sleeves?”
“I have told you why I am here and what I want. Now it is time for you to do the same. Or else I will revoke my permission and you shall have no entry into the Realm of Light. Ever.”
Jack looked alarmed. “You cannot do that. A bargain struck is a bargain binding. Pacta servanda sunt. Pacts must be served.”
“Not if the bargain was struck by trickery. Now tell me what it is that you want. I really do not have time for this.”
Jack was silent as he thought the matter over. “I want you to take me through the barrier when I come. Will you do that?”
Elle thought about it for a moment. She had no idea why Jack would want something so specific. It had to be important, but she could not think why.
She watched a little black spider drop down from the branches above them on its silken thread only to quickly climb back up it again.
“If you let me through the barrier, then you would know where I am,” Jack said.
Jack had a point. And knowing what Jack was up to was certainly better than leaving him to his own devices.
Oh voices, what should I do? she thought. But there was nothing but silence. Elle suddenly regretted banishing her allies with all her heart. And right now, there was no time to devise a way to return them from exile.
Elle sighed. She would have to make the decision on her own. And right now Marsh was her only concern.
“Done,” she said. She could worry about Jack later when the time came.
Jack gave her another crooked-toothed grin and rubbed his hands together. “That is splendid, my dear. Splendid indeed.”
“Now tell me about the lady.”
“All right, all right, I am getting to that,” Jack said. He scratched his wispy beard. “The Ladies in White are difficult creatures. Willful, stubborn. And they hold grudges like no one else in the two realms. Oh, I remember a little dalliance with one when I wore a younger man’s beard.”
Elle pulled a face. “That’s not much help. How do I stop one?”
Jack shrugged. “That depends on the situation. As far as I know there are only two ways to stop her. You must either make her want to change her mind. Or, if she won’t, then the only other way is to change her mind for her. You know what I mean?”
“Not really, if I’m honest,” Elle said.
Jack looked at her with his sharp little eyes. “Oh don’t be so slow. You have to kill her.”
Elle shuddered. The image of the man in the park was still vivid in her mind. “More blood on my hands,” she murmured.
Jack tutted. “I heard rumors that the new Oracle was a little behind on her training, but really, this is too much.”
Elle glared at him. “My training is just fine, I’ll have you know, sir.”
Jack held a hand up to placate her. “Easy now, I meant no offence. I’m sure you are well aware that you are one of the few forces in existence that can stop almost anyone from the Shadow with your power. You are the Shadow, my dear and so you control the energy that flows within all of us.” Jack nodded slowly. “I suspect that there are some here who would see me lynched for letting the secret out, but we are all yours to command, my Queen.”
Elle blinked. She was queen of the Realm of Shadow? This was certainly news to her.
Jack chuckled and gestured toward her hand. “Also, that bit of silk around your finger might come in handy. That would tie her up in knots in no time.”
“But if I unwound the ring, would it not sever the bond?”
“It might. But I thought you wanted to stop the Lady no matter what the cost?”
“I do.”
“Well, at all costs is sometimes very expensive, you know.”
Elle thought about this. Jack was not being particularly helpful and she was wasting time. “Jack, I thank you for your time.” She drew up her cloak and rose.
“Right, so it’s settled then,” Jack said. “Just give me a moment to gather a few things.”
“What? You want to come with me now?” Elle said.
Jack shrugged. “Now is as good a time as any, don’t you think? I hear the Orient is lovely this time of year.”
“I have no idea.” She had not bargained on him wanting to go immediately.
“Stay where you are, let me just get my things. I won’t be a moment,” Jack said as he disappeared behind the tree. Elle watched his lantern flutter and flicker on the ground where he left it.
This sudden turn of events was most inconvenient. She did not trust Jack one little bit and the last thing she needed right now was to be playing governess to an old fairy.
“I’m sorry, Jack, but I’ll have to come back for you another time,” she whispered as she snuffed out the light of the lantern. Then Elle turned and ran for the barrier as fast as she could.
As she ran, she heard a strange howling noise behind her. It was the sound of pain that ran deeper than any mortal could withstand, paired with utter and desolate disappointment. The sound was so awful it set her teeth on edge.
“Run! Run!” The magpies appeared overhead, squawking loudly.
The dip-dibs screeched as she flew past them.
“Rrrrrrun!” the magpies said.
As soon as Elle cleared the trees, the world sped up to a speed that made her nauseous. And just when she thought she could not stand moving any more, she felt the barrier before her. She closed her eyes and dove headlong through it. The moment of weightlessness, as if she was underwater, passed in an instant and then she landed on the cold hard floor of her secret chamber.
She stood up, shivering. All her limbs were damp and cold as if she had been lying outside in the rain. She stumbled out of her secret chamber and closed the door firmly behind her. Grateful for the safety of her own room Elle crawled to the bed and slipped in between the covers. She lay
under the cover shivering and thinking for a very long time. She had many plans to make before nightfall.
CHAPTER 29
Elle found Loisa and the professor in the dining room that evening when she came downstairs.
“Loisa! You are up,” Elle said.
Loisa still had half moons the color of bruised damsons under her eyes, but she was alert and seemed much better. “Thank you for the potion, it has worked absolute wonders,” she said.
“That was a rather close call you had, Ellie, my dear. Loisa was just telling me all about your little adventure in the park.” The professor rose from the table. “Blasted business, shooting a man, isn’t it?”
Elle did not meet her father’s gaze. “I’m sorry I’m late. I overslept a little,” she said avoiding the subject.
“You look like you needed it, darling.” Loisa took a sip from the ruby-colored liquid in her goblet. “But in answer to your question, Professor, Elle is a deft hand with that revolver and we were lucky we managed to get away when we did. A few minutes later and it would have been too late. Even for someone as skilled as me. I owe her my life.”
Caruthers started serving the meal, which was a strange mix of dinner and breakfast dishes. Elle helped herself to some Kedgeree. “How is he?” she said.
There was an awkward silence as her question hung in the air.
“Ticking along as ever, my dear,” the professor said softly.
“I know this might not be the best topic for the table, but as we are all here, we might as well talk,” Elle said.
No one objected.
“How is work on the device coming along, Papa?” Elle said.
“Very well, actually. I tested it out on a pig carcass that Neville picked up from Smithfield for me. You know, even though I hated every moment of it, the time spent with those alchemists was most illuminating. I actually ended up learning quite a lot from them in the end,” the professor said.
“But what about the device, Papa?” Elle said.
“Oh that. The device made the transference of the organs still attached to the pig without a problem. I can’t say the same about the mantle clock in my room though. I hope you don’t mind.”
A Clockwork Heart Page 24